Kamareddy: 89-year-old bridge cries for attention

Kamareddy: As the old bridge across the Manjira River near the Nizamsagar mandal headquarters reaches its ruins, it has become a precarious journey for passers-by.

The Telangana government though plans to build a new bridge to replace the old one that was built across the Manjira River, construction work has been delayed for the past five years. R&B officials failed maintain the old bridge and now we can see weeds growing on both sides of the bridge, which are causing gaps and cracks. This causes panic among the commuters passing over the bridge.

There is a fear among the people as it seems that the bridge may collapse anytime. Roads and buildings department officials have been negligent towards maintaining the 89 year old bridge. It is noteworthy that the inability of the departmental officials to maintain the structure has left it in such condition. Telangana Chief Minister, Chandrasekhar Rao is scheduled to lay foundation stone for the Nagulamadugu Lift Irrigation on June 20.

If the CM's visit is finalized, there are possibilities that he might travel over the same bridge, yet the officials have made no efforts to repair it. In fact, an alternative bridge is being constructed at a cost of Rs 25 crore. Though the construction work for it is been going on for four years now, it might take time for the completion.

The bridge over the Manjira River serves as a bridge over the Kamareddy-Ellareddy-Medak-Hyderabad roads. Frequent passers-by say, that the bridge was overgrown with weeds and people were afraid to cross it, yet had no option but to travel on it.